The Solar Home of the Future May Be Here Today

In what was expected to be the first of 100 such dwellings, a solar home in Phoenix, AZ enabled the owner to sell electricity back into the grid and/or charge up an electric car.

Long's firm has three car models currently available for conversion to electric power: the Chevy Luv truck, the Chevrolet Citation, and the Datsun B310.

ROBERT F. CROZIER

Before installation, each solar cell in the roof panels is encapsulated in plastic to protect it against hail, rain, and dirt.

ROBERT F. CROZIER

This solar home in Phoenix, AZ, built by John F. Long Homes, looks as conventional as any other house on the block except for the 7,200 solar cells on the roof. These cells are capable of producing over 6,000 watts of electricity.

PHOTO: ROBERT F. CROZIER

A close-up view of one roof panel shows the four-inch photovoltaic cells in detail.

ROBERT F. CROZIER

Charging a converted Chevy Citation.

ROBERT F. CROZIER

These meters record outgoing as well as incoming electrical flow. Surplus power is credited toward any purchased wattage.

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